Pocket-carried handgun

ABSTRACT

A pocket-carried handgun has a planar body having opposed major faces, the body having a periphery defined by opposed elongated top and bottom edges and opposed front and rear edges, the body defining a trigger aperture extending between major faces at an intermediate position away from the periphery, a trigger lever extending from the body into the trigger aperture, and the body defining a grip aperture proximate the trigger aperture and toward the bottom edge. The body may have a rectangular form. The top and bottom edges may be straight edges parallel to each other. The front and rear edges may be straight edges parallel to each other. There may be a removable plug occupying the trigger aperture. The plug may include a portion occupying the grip aperture. The plug may define a space for closely receiving a portion of the trigger lever.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/203,335 filed on Aug. 10, 2015, entitled“HOLSTER-LESS COMPACT POCKET CARRY HANDGUN SYSTEM,” which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety for all that is taught anddisclosed therein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to firearms, and more particularly to acompact handgun that fits into a pocket for pocket carry that does notresemble a conventional handgun.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Concealed carry is the practice of carrying a firearm, usually ahandgun, in public in a concealed manner. All 50 states in the US havelaws allowing qualified individuals to carry certain concealed firearmsin public, either without a permit or after obtaining a permit.Published statistics indicate the number of concealed carry permitholders in the United States is steadily increasing.

Small caliber and small frame handguns that will fit in a pocket areparticularly popular for concealed carry. A significant disadvantage tothese firearms is they are easily recognized as being a handgun in thecarrier's pocket because of their very identifiable, distinctsilhouette. In addition, because of their characteristic handgun form,they often turn and twist in different directions in the carrier'spocket, making a smooth draw awkward. Additionally, small pocket carryhandguns are often “snappy,” having excess muzzle rise that makesmaintaining the sight picture difficult, and the grips are too small orawkward to grasp. Another negative aspect is the magazine capacity ofsmall pocket carry firearms is generally limited to 5-7 rounds. If anextra magazine is needed, it has to be carried either in another pocketor a holster of some sort that requires the carrier to divert at leastone hand and his or her attention to retrieve it.

To attempt to address the identifiable, distinct silhouette of a pocketcarry firearm in a carrier's pocket, several “wallet” type holsters havebeen developed that attempt to mask the shape of the handgun. These donot allow the use of laser sights, interfere with magazine release,and/or require extra steps to free the handgun from the “wallet.”

To attempt to improve the ability to smoothly draw a pocket carriedfirearm from a carrier's pocket, basic “pocket fob” holsters have beendesigned to hold the gun upright in the carrier's pocket. However, theseoften do not fit pockets well, do not change the handgun's silhouetteadequately to conceal it, do not address the need for an extra magazine,and often turn pockets inside out causing snagging when the handgun isdrawn.

Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved pocket-carried handgunthat is not readily identifiable as a handgun and that draws smoothlyfrom a pocket. In this regard, the various embodiments of the presentinvention substantially fulfill at least some of these needs. In thisrespect, the pocket-carried handgun according to the present inventionsubstantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of theprior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed forthe purpose of not being readily identifiable as a handgun and drawingsmoothly from a pocket.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an improved pocket-carried handgun, andovercomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the priorart. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which willbe described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide an improvedpocket-carried handgun that has all the advantages of the prior artmentioned above.

To attain this, the preferred embodiment of the present inventionessentially comprises.

a planar body having opposed major faces, the body having a peripherydefined by opposed elongated top and bottom edges and opposed front andrear edges, the body defining a trigger aperture extending between majorfaces at an intermediate position away from the periphery, a triggerlever extending from the body into the trigger aperture, and the bodydefining a grip aperture proximate the trigger aperture and toward thebottom edge. The body may have a rectangular form. The top and bottomedges may be straight edges parallel to each other. The front and rearedges may be straight edges parallel to each other. There may be aremovable plug occupying the trigger aperture. The plug may include aportion occupying the grip aperture. The plug may define a space forclosely receiving a portion of the trigger lever. There are, of course,additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafterand which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front isometric view of the current embodiment of thepocket-carried handgun constructed in accordance with the principles ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the pocket-carried handgun of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the pocket-carried handgun of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front isometric view of the current embodiment of thetrigger stay suitable for use with the pocket-carried handgun of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the trigger stay of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a front isometric view of the pocket-carried handgun of FIG. 1with the trigger stay of FIG. 4 installed.

The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout thevarious figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT EMBODIMENT

An embodiment of the pocket-carried handgun of the present invention isshown and generally designated by the reference numeral 10.

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate the improved pocket-carried handgun 10 of thepresent invention.

More particularly, the pocket-carried handgun has a planar body or frame12, opposed front 14 and rear 16 edges, opposed elongated top 18 andbottom 20 edges, and opposed right 22 and left 24 major faces. In thecurrent embodiment, the frame is a polymer frame.

A slide 26 has a bottom 34 slidably connected to the top 18 of the frame12. The slide also has a front 28, rear 30, top 32, right 36, and left38. In the current embodiment, the slide is made of steel. The rear ofthe right and left sides of the slide define slide grips 40, which areserrations that facilitate gripping of the right and left sides of theslide to pull the slide rearwardly. The top of the slide defines anejection port 42 for ejecting spent cartridge casings and a sight 44 tofacilitate aiming of the pocket-carried handgun 10. The front of theslide defines a beveled barrel orifice 46 that receives a barrel 48having a central barrel bore 50 and a beveled muzzle 132. The roundedbevel of the barrel orifice and muzzle act similarly to a gas port toredirect gas pressure exiting the barrel, thereby reducing muzzle riseand improving the sight picture. In the current embodiment, the barrelis rifled all the way through to the front end. However, in order toensure all of the rifling ends at a consistent location within thebarrel, the muzzle of the barrel alternatively can be slightly recessedand squared off at the front end instead of beveled, or the beveledmuzzle of the barrel can be bored out to a size larger than the groovesand lands of the rifling.

The front 14 of the frame 12 receives a top 54 of a LED diode and laserdiode housing 52 immediately below the barrel orifice 46. The bottom 56of the housing is flush with the front of the frame and includes a laserdiode 58 and a LED diode 60. The laser diode provides the pocket-carriedhandgun 10 with a laser sight, and the LED diode provides thepocket-carried handgun with a source of illumination.

The front 14 of the frame 12 also receives the top 64 of a sparemagazine 62 in a front magazine receptacle or well 128. The magazinewell is elongated, has an opening at the front of the frame, and extendsrearward toward a finger grip aperture or orifice 70. The bottom 66 ofthe spare magazine is flush with the front of the frame. The forwardplacement of the spare magazine acts to counterbalance muzzle rise andkeeps the pocket-carried handgun on target with both of the carrier'shands in front of his or her body and the muzzle 132 of the barrel 48downrange while changing magazines. The right face 22 of the frameincludes a spare magazine release 68 that releasably retains the sparemagazine within the front magazine well.

The finger grip orifice 70 and a trigger housing aperture or orifice 76extend through the frame 12 from the right face 22 to the left face 24with the finger grip orifice located below the trigger housing orifice.In the current embodiment, the finger grip orifice is circular, and thefinger grip orifice and the trigger housing orifice are separated by aweb 126 having a thickness of less than or equal to 0.25 inch. Thefinger grip orifice provides a secure and stable grip for the carrier'smiddle finger that is superior to the miniature open grip design of manysmall handguns. The finger grip orifice provides access to a pressurelaser power switch 72 to the rear 16 to control the laser sight diode 58and an LED on/off switch 60 to the front 14 to control the LED diodewhile the pocket-carried handgun 10 is gripped. A trigger 78 protrudesinto the trigger housing orifice 76.

The bottom 20 rear 16 of the frame 12 receives the top 82 of a primarymagazine 80 in a rear magazine well 130. The rear magazine well iselongated, has an opening at the bottom of the frame, and extends towardthe top of the frame rearward of the trigger housing orifice 76 and thefinger grip orifice 70 so as to be in operable communication with anaction (not shown) of the pocket-carried handgun 10. The bottom 84 ofthe primary magazine is flush with the bottom of the frame. The rightface 22 of the frame includes a primary magazine release 86 thatreleasably retains the primary magazine within the rear magazine well.

The rear 16 of the frame 12 defines a concave rear recess contour 88. Ahinged pressure back strap 90 having a top 92, bottom 94, front 96, rear98, and right 100 is a movable portion pivotally connected to the bottom20 rear of the frame by a hinge pin 102. The back strap is spring biasedrearwardly such that the rear of the back strap fills the contour and isflush with the rear of the frame until the pocket-carried handgun 10 isgripped. The back strap maintains a discrete, non-threatening silhouetteof the pocket-carried handgun while it is carried in a pocket. When thepocket-carried handgun is gripped, the back strap pivots forward(denoted by dashed lines) towards the front 14 of the frame intorecesses (not visible) on each side of the rear magazine well 130 untilthe rear of the back strap does not protrude into the area rearward ofthe contour, thereby exposing the rear recess to facilitate gripping.

FIGS. 4-6 illustrate the improved trigger stay 104 of the currentinvention. More particularly, the trigger stay has a planar spine 124having a top 106, bottom 108, front 110, rear 112, right side 114, andleft side 116. A trigger housing orifice plug 118 and a finger griporifice plug 122 protrude outwardly from the right side of the spine.The trigger housing orifice plug is located above the finger griporifice plug, and the plugs are axially registered with the triggerhousing orifice 76 and the finger grip orifice 70 when the trigger stayis installed in the frame 12 of the pocket-carried handgun 10. Thetrigger housing orifice includes a trigger slot 120 that is a space forclosely receiving a portion of the trigger 78. When the trigger stay isinstalled in the frame, trigger movement is prevented and other itemssuch as keys are prevented from entering the trigger housing orificewhile the pocket-carried handgun is carried in a pocket or purse. Thetrigger stay pops out easily when the carrier's middle finger isinserted into the finger grip orifice and pushes on the finger griporifice plug. The illustrated trigger stay is for use by a right-handedshooter. Alternatively, a trigger stay with the trigger housing orificeplug in finger grip orifice plug protruding outwardly from the left sideof the spine can be used by a left-handed shooter. The pocket-carriedhandgun is inherently ambidextrous and can be used by either aleft-handed shooter or a right-handed shooter without any othermodifications.

The pocket-carried handgun 10 has a generally rectangular form withrounded corners with the top and bottom edges being straight edgesparallel to each other and the front and rear edges being straight edgesparallel to each other. The rectangular shape enables stable positioningwithin the carrier's pants pockets, short pants pockets, slacks pockets,and suit coat pockets. The pocket-carried handgun also eliminates theneed for common small handgun accessories such as a holster, sparemagazine, and a laser sight that can create snag points and coulddistract the user. The rectangular shape also endows the pocket-carriedhandgun with a discrete, non-threatening silhouette resembling a smartphone while being carried in a pocket. In the current embodiment, thepocket-carried handgun has a length of 6 inches, a height of 3.75inches, and a width of 0.75 inch.

While a current embodiment of a pocket-carried handgun has beendescribed in detail, it should be apparent that modifications andvariations thereto are possible, all of which fall within the truespirit and scope of the invention. For example, instead of the sparemagazine disclosed, the front of the frame can receive a non-lethalpepper spray cartridge. In addition, the hinged pressure back strap canbe integrated into a safety mechanism operably connected to an action ofthe pocket-carried handgun that prevents the pocket-carried handgun fromfiring unless the hinged pressure back strap is firmly gripped andpivoted into a forward position into the frame. Furthermore, the LEDon/off switch can be in any suitable location on the frame in additionto the front of the finger grip orifice. With respect to the abovedescription then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensionalrelationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations insize, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assemblyand use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in theart, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in thedrawings and described in the specification are intended to beencompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

I claim:
 1. A pistol comprising: a planar body having opposed majorfaces; the body having a periphery defined by opposed elongated top andbottom edges and opposed front and rear edges; the body defining atrigger aperture extending between major faces at an intermediateposition away from the periphery; a trigger lever extending from thebody into the trigger aperture; and the body defining a grip apertureproximate the trigger aperture and toward the bottom edge.
 2. The pistolof claim 1 further comprising the body having a rectangular form.
 3. Thepistol of claim 1 further comprising the top and bottom edges beingstraight edges parallel to each other.
 4. The pistol of claim 1 furthercomprising the front and rear edges being straight edges parallel toeach other.
 5. The pistol of claim 1 including a removable plugoccupying the trigger aperture.
 6. The pistol of claim 5 furthercomprising the plug including a portion occupying the grip aperture. 7.The pistol of claim 5 further comprising the plug defining a space forclosely receiving a portion of the trigger lever.
 8. The pistol of claim1 further comprising the body having a movable portion at the rear edge,the movable portion being movable toward the front edge of the body toprovide a concave rear recess to facilitate gripping.
 9. The pistol ofclaim 8 wherein the movable portion is pivotally connected to the body.10. The pistol of claim 8 wherein the movable portion is operablyconnected to an action of the pistol to prevent discharge of the pistolexcept when the movable portion is in a forward position.
 11. The pistolof claim 1 wherein the body defines an elongated magazine receptaclehaving an opening at the front edge, and extending toward the gripaperture.
 12. The pistol of claim 9 including a second magazine apertureoperable communicating with an action of the pistol and having anopening at the bottom edge of the body, and extending toward the topedge of the body rearward of the trigger aperture and the grip aperture.13. The pistol of claim 1 wherein the grip aperture is circular.
 14. Thepistol of claim 1 wherein the grip aperture is separated from thetrigger aperture by a web having a thickness of less than or equal to0.25 inch.